It’s been almost 30 years since Quentin Tarantino first hit the indie scene like a neutron bomb with his debut feature Reservoir Dogs (1992) and since then he’s made many names for himself. To some he’s a genius and enfant…
New York Asian Film Festival 2019: A Main Slate Retrospective
With the coming of mid-July comes the ending of the New York Asian Film Festival. Now in its 18th year, this annual collection of films remains one of the only places in New York City where audiences can watch films…
NYAFF Review: It’s a Mad Mad Mad Mad Show is an Unapologetic Love Letter to “Insane” Asian Television
Since the dawn of Peak TV, television has had perhaps the most cultural sway and power in Western society since its postwar nascence in the late 40s and early 50s. American prestige epics and comedies, British dramas and sci-fi, Hispanic…
Phil Movie Review: An inoffensive but unfunny take on a heavy subject
One must tread carefully with suicide; it’s a subject that demands delicacy and nuance. When handled sloppily it can tear open old wounds from those who’ve lost loved ones that way. Or, even worse, it can inspire imitators, something Netflix…
NYAFF Opening Night Review: Samurai Marathon races towards confusion
The New York Asian Film Festival returns for its eighteenth year, kicking off its annual celebration of some of the strangest, weirdest, and most eclectic filmmaking throughout Asia. The opening night film was the North American premiere of Bernard Rose’s…
Last Call Interview: A Discussion with Director Gavin Michael Booth
Content Warning: This article explicitly deals with suicide. If you or someone you know is feeling suicidal, please call the toll-free 24-hour suicide hotline at 1-800-273-8255. In recent years, there have been numerous films and television shows explicitly dealing with…
Leto is a Nostalgic, Wistful Tribute to Soviet Rock ’n’ Roll
When Kirill Serebrennikov’s Leto first premiered last year at Cannes, it was overshadowed by the director’s recent house arrest under accusations of embezzlement against the state. The film world reacted with outraged scorn, seeing his imprisonment as blatant retaliation by…
